"Seele!?"
"Why are you here?"
Though excited by the sudden appearance, Welt didn't forget the immediate problem. He gently touched Stelle's forehead with his cane. The rampaging Stellaron within her, already clashing fiercely with Honkai energy, was instantly pacified.
With a light tap of his cane on the ground, the various objects scattered and floating due to the simulated black hole's gravity slowly drifted back down.
A flicker of surprise crossed Caelus's eyes.
That display alone showcased Old Yang's exquisite control over gravity. It seemed embarking on the Path system had strengthened him considerably.
Maybe I should just get Seele to jump ship to the Path system too~!
The character cards provided by the System held high priority – high enough that even the Path mechanism recognized Caelus and Seele as distinct individuals. Seele embarking on a Path wouldn't be influenced by Caelus, and besides, the Path of Elation was inherently compatible with all other Paths.
[I wouldn't object if the Host chooses to do so.]
The System, sensing Caelus's fleeting thought, immediately chimed in persuasively.
[Host, you should have already realized your own talent. While Imaginary Energy and Honkai Energy are comparable in terms of energy levels, your control over Honkai Energy far surpasses your control over Imaginary Energy.]
Did it really think it just randomly picked any host to bind with? Caelus mused.
[See? Getting worked up again.]
Sensing the System's eagerness, reminiscent of someone desperately trying to guide a naive friend through building a custom PC, Caelus adopted a calm, almost lecturing tone internally.
[I was just joking.]
Never mind that the Honkai Energy within Seele was the Honkai Impact 2nd version; even the Honkai Impact 3rd version derived from the Cocoon of Finality wasn't necessarily inferior to Imaginary Energy. Although Honkai Energy was a variant of Imaginary Energy, processed or guided in some way to change its nature, this wasn't some fantasy novel where older, more primitive things were automatically stronger.
Furthermore, the Path system was confined to this single universe. Traveling to other worlds meant losing the boons of the Paths. The Honkai Energy Seele possessed, identical to that wielded by the Will of Honkai, was entirely her own power. It would function not just in the Star Rail world, but even outside the Imaginary Tree!
Caelus would have to be brain-dead to switch to an energy system with such significant limitations.
Growing accustomed to dual-processing, Caelus let his thoughts wander while simultaneously turning his attention to Welt's serious expression.
"Mr. Yang, you know Seele?" March 7th's face was etched with astonishment.
Dan Heng and Himeko also cast curious glances his way.
"Yes, Seele… she is a good friend of an excellent successor I once mentored."
Welt was overjoyed at seeing a familiar face. Having journeyed with the Express for so long, he knew that similar flowers bloomed on many planets across this universe, but this indigo-haired young woman had to be from his homeland. The signature Honkai energy and Stigmata were unmistakable – how could he be wrong!?
She was undoubtedly a junior from his home world!
But… why did Seele seem slightly… off?
A thread of doubt wove through the joy of encountering someone from home, crystallizing as Welt met the girl's gaze fully. Her timid, almost skittish demeanor, like that of a small animal, and eyes filled with bewilderment and confusion, gradually cooled Welt's excitement.
No! Something's not right!
"Are… are you Seele?" Welt asked tentatively after a few seconds of silence.
"Mm, my name is Seele Vollerei, but… who are you, mister? How do you know me?"
Too lazy to perform himself, Caelus-Seele activated auto-battle, handing control over to White Seele (Bai Xi), telling the younger Seele persona not to lie, just react and answer honestly. After all, the Seele from this point in time wouldn't know Welt anyway.
"Hm? You don't know me?"
Seele's reaction, like facing a complete stranger, startled Welt.
"Wait a moment!"
Carefully observing the young woman before him, Welt noticed the discrepancy. This girl seemed far more 'immature' than the Seele he remembered, who had already grown into a capable Valkyrie! Her fragile appearance reminded Welt of when he first learned about her…
His expression turned serious and solemn. Welt softened his tone as much as possible and asked the younger Seele a few questions. Faced with a stranger who somehow knew her, Little Seele was initially flustered and unsure. But recalling the other self's instructions, she responded truthfully in her soft, hesitant voice.
"What is it? Did you mistake her for someone else?" Himeko's gentle voice broke through Welt's contemplation. Startled back to the present, Old Yang saw March 7th's expectant gaze and Dan Heng's quiet watchfulness.
"Ah, it seems I did," Welt admitted with a hint of awkwardness, shaking his head with a smile.
"Aw, that's a shame!" March 7th sighed lightly. "I thought Mr. Yang might have found a clue back home… But I'd really miss you if you decided to leave the Express, Mr. Yang."
"Finding a clue home doesn't mean I'd leave immediately," Welt continued to smile. "This universe is quite fascinating. I genuinely enjoy traveling with all of you now. I'm not in a hurry to return, it's just…"
Welt trailed off, merely smiling.
It's just that going home means facing an ultimately red-hot lobster head, right? Caelus mentally supplied the unspoken ending.
"However, although I was mistaken, I'm not entirely ignorant about Seele's situation…"
Seeing everyone's eyes, including Little Seele's, turn towards him, Welt adjusted his glasses and elaborated.
"If I'm not mistaken, Seele likely comes from a parallel world to my own homeland, or perhaps a highly similar World Bubble."
March 7th scratched the back of her head, tilting it in confusion. "I know what parallel worlds are, but what's a World Bubble?"
"Well, that's a rather long story…"
Class is in session with Little Anti-Entropy's resident male mom~!
Welt began to educate the group on the finer points of the Honkai universe, explaining his hypothesis about Seele's origins. Caelus listened, nodding inwardly. Old Yang's theory was that Seele had traversed from a parallel world or World Bubble within the Solar System to this galaxy. The method of travel was debatable; unexpected events occurred constantly throughout the cosmos.
Her possession of Honkai Energy proved Seele must originate from the Solar System. However, her younger appearance, immature personality, and lack of recognition towards him meant a normal person's first guess wouldn't be that she came from the past. In fact, they wouldn't even consider that possibility!
Anyone with logical thinking possesses an instinctive understanding of time's rigidity, let alone Old Yang, who grew up tutored by two scientific giants. The disappearance of a single Sea of Quanta butterfly could have incalculable effects on 'history'! If Seele vanished, it would inflict severe psychological trauma on Bronya, preventing her from inheriting the Herrscher Core and undergoing her metamorphosis as planned… Following the chain of causality, Welt himself might not even have the chance to be standing here.
The most plausible explanation involved the countless parallel worlds and World Bubbles, teeming with isotopic individuals.
[Speaking of which, I'm also quite curious.]
Caelus, knowing the truth, had recognized the time paradox issue early on but hadn't had the chance to inquire further.
[System, if I found a way to get Seele out of the Sea of Quanta and back to her original world prematurely, what impact would it have on the 'future'?]
The System seemed to consult its backend before replying.
[Any causality originating from us will not affect the 'predetermined' future. Instead, it generates a superimposed timeline. A dual 'future' converges concurrently while collapsing together.]
Listening intently to the System's report, which sounded like it came from a third-party verification agency, Caelus performed a mental translation into layman's terms. The result was the baffling, counter-intuitive logic characteristic of the quantum realm.
'No impact on the future' and 'Can change the future' coexisted, much like a microscopic particle being both a wave and a particle simultaneously.
[So, is there any way for me to directly influence the Solar System?]
This was Caelus's real concern. He didn't hold out much hope for the System, but its BUGs were incredibly useful!
Perhaps sensing Caelus's thoughts, the System paused for a moment.
[Under normal circumstances, it's impossible. But… just as the Host suspected, due to the BUG's existence, I can inversely map your consciousness into Seele's original body.]
[You've done well… oh no, you've done badly in the best way! System!]
Gazing at Stelle, who was currently being fussed over by March 7th, Caelus offered heartfelt praise to the System internally.
However, this plan required careful consideration. Even if his consciousness could be projected into the original Seele, his current self lacked the power to break out of the Sea of Quanta and return to the real world.
________________________________________
I have a little challenge for you! For every 100 POWER STONES, I'll release ONE EXTRA CHAPTER!
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 30 advanced chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Leanzin